Monday, 18 February 2013

A Photo Documentary Of Hong Lim Protest

A
youth holds up a placard proudly proclaiming “Singapore for
Singaporeans” at the historic protest in Singapore against the
government’s population white paper, the largest bi-partisan protest
since Singapore’s Independence.

The government has for years run the
country by numbers, boasting of economic growth while neglecting, even
ignoring the difficulties of the people they claim to serve.

A placard with the message from the people of Singapore to the ruling party – “Say No to an Overpopulated Singapore”

Crowd attendance was more than 5000 by
all estimates. Because of the rain, not everyone got onto the field,
which meant 5000 is conservative.

This group of guys wore jerseys
emblazoned with the Singapore flag and carried Lions XII soccer team
scarfs in support of the protest.

Singaporeans want to be heard, and they want to be heard about the population white paper.

Rain or shine, the protest goes on amidst a dazzling display of different umbrella designs.

A united family standing in protest at
the historic mass rally, the largest bipartisan protest since
Singapore’s independence, with more than 5000 in attendance.

A guy in a Guy Fawkes mask speaking to
his friend about the protest. The mask has come to symbolize protest,
and was featured in the movie V for Vendetta.

Undeterred by the rain, this man is a symbol of defiance against the policies laid down in the population white paper.

Rattling his clapper loudly, this man is full of support for the protest. Both the young and old are united by a common spirit.

A supporter applauding the speaker at the protest. Young and old flocked to the protest wanting their voices to be heard.

I saw a lot of young Singaporeans at
the protest, a healthy sign that we are not as apathetic and apolitical
as most think. We care.

Without the lure of free food and free
transport typical of the ruling party to bring supporters to their
events in an organised fashion, the people came here on their own, rain
or shine.

The over-riding message – “We will fix you 2016″, making a reference to the next scheduled General Election in Singapore.

At first I thought a bride had come to join in the protest!

Clappers, whistles and cheers add to the carnival like atmosphere of the protest.

The message to the government was clear and simple – NO to 6.9 million in Singapore.

People listened to the line up of 13
speakers talk about the problems of population. Housing, transport woes,
over crowding and lack of jobs were sore issues.

Should I migrate to make more space?

Many came to the protest for the sake
of their kids. Would they have a place in school, a job in the face of
6.9 million people, half of which are not Singaporeans?

Even at 5.3 million, Singapore’s
transport, housing and infrastructure are already straining under the
weight. Just look at our pathetic train system!

Placards were seen making a mockery of the number 6.9 million….

Ah Loong refers to the Prime Minister, and 6.9 million is the one population figure the people made clear they do not want.

Braving the weather, people live
tweeted / instagrammed / pathed / facebooked the event in the large
display of citizen journalism.

Protesters reciting the Singapore pledge in a giant show of patriotism and love of our nation.

We the citizens of Singapore… reciting the nation pledge in a massive show of patriotism

We are not your sheeple – the placard
proclaims, making a reference to people being treated like mindless
sheep in Singapore. Real soft toy sheep used there!

We want to be heard, not herded – possibly my favorite tagline from the protest!

We are Singapore, and this is our home. And I’m glad to say, we have matured.

Waiting for 2016 – we want to be heard, not herded. Well said!

Say No to 6.9 million is a protest organised by transitioning.org The General Elections in 2016 will be
very interesting indeed. The voice of the people cannot be ignored now.
We have shown that we care, and we will act, if needed, to be heard.
For more pictures of the protest, please visit my Flicker set. My instagram feed also contains additional images during my live tweeting. Images are copyright – please ask permission if you wish to use them!

Shame on our Mainstream Media for failing its readers and Singaporeans

It is a crying shame that we Singaporeans have to resort to reading
overseas media reports to get the full impact of the protest held at
Hong Lim Park yesterday. The international media including the BBC News,Wall Street Journal, International Herald Tribune, Aljazeera,Bloomberg, Reuters, Jakarta Post and
South China Morning Post (SCMP) all gave very substantial coverage to
the event which will surely go down in our history as a significant
milestone. Several of the foreign press noted that this was an important
and rare protest in our tightly-controlled country of docile beings.
Hongkong’s SCMP even reported it on their front page!To the editors at Singapore Press Holdings and MediaCorp. I know your
hands are literally chained by the government but I hope you had at
least tried your best to fight for more worthy coverage. You know deep
down this was a newsworthy historical event. By giving it shallow
coverage, you have a) set a lousy example to your journos as an editor
and shown how your journalistic integrity was compromised b) done your
readers a great disservice and c) failed your fellow citizens and your
country.I hope you and your conscience sleep well at night.read more

Why Is Straits Times So Shy?I'm grateful for these great pictures in facebook [Link]. I'm amazed why such pictures are not featured in the Straits Times newsprint.A dear friend of mine working in University of Hong Kong who is as engrossed as I am in the 'Save Singapore Event' [Link] sent me these newsprints dated Sunday, 17 Feb 2013.IfHong Kong's South China Morning Post [Link]
can print the above on their front page, why is Straits Times so shy
that it has to hide such momentous history-making local news at page
four of Sunday Timesread moreReporting Hong Lim ParkSomething big happened in Singapore yesterday and it was on the front
page of….the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong. The kindest thing I
can say about MSM here is that they don’t track events as thoroughly as
the foreign media. But I know that’s a lie. So we have to read foreign
versions of what happened in Singapore, filed by wire agencies and other
publications. Or you get bits and pieces of what happened through
social media and YouTube clips. I would have liked a comprehensive
report on what the speakers said done by professionals who have a stake
in this country’s future.But I, a Singapore citizen, didn’t get it.I suppose MSM found themselves in a tough position. There’s some OB
marker somewhere they can’t cross, or won’t cross. So there was a piece
in the Sunday Times which summed up the event. Bare bones. Not even a
Page 1 picture. The organisers of the Say No to Population White Paper
said 5,000 people attended, reported ST, which also cited AFP’s 1,000 to
1,500. The police, whom the MSM usually relies on for the definitive
crowd size, said they didn’t monitor the crowd size yesterday.
Unbelievable! Anyway, if ST could have quoted AFP, then it could well
have come up with its estimate of crowd size – which it didn’t.read moreIS CNA SENIOR REPORTER RAMESH SUBBARAMAN A PAP SUPPORTER?Last evening at the press conference, the
panel asked the media if they had any questions. Someone asked the
Ramesh from CNA to answer. He said he has no questions. Then everyone
booed and he was forced to ask. During the question and answer one of
panellists also made fun of how the media is controlled. According to a
news in TW, he was 'forced' to ask, so he asked "So what are you going
to do next?" (translated from the chinese news)During the end of the protest press
conference, all the questions were directed by the reporters from the
foreign media. Channel News Asia was totally quiet throughout. But
toward the end, CNA's Remesh was pushed by the crowd to put in a
question to the panel. Vincent gave a excellent reply and within
seconds, Remesh just walked off and disappeared. Watch the videoread moreCrowd numbers at population protestI see that many people on social media have pointed out the large
discrepancies in reports of crowd size at yesterday’s protest against
the Population White Paper. Variations in estimates always accompany any
outdoor event unless it’s a ticketed one.My earlier article
quoted the organisers’ figure of 4,000 to 5,000, a figure they
announced at least twice during the rally itself. My own calculations —
which I completed only after publishing the earlier article indicate
that 3,000 to 4,000 may be more accurate.Here’s a Facebook mention of 5,000 by the emcee of the event:read moreHow many people were at Hong Lim Spring?I was there for nearly two hours. I walked around the whole park taking
photos along the way. My estimate is that there were at least 5 to 6,000
people there at its peak. But I don’t think anyone will trust me
because I am not a reputable newspaper like Reuter, AFP, AP, CNN or the
ST.Who is the most authoritative or suitable party to give a good estimate
of the number of people on the ground? A foreign media or a local media,
an interested party like the organiser or a non interested party like
me?The number of people present and quoted by the various media ranges from
1,000, 1,500, 2,000, 3,000, more than 4,000, 5,000 etc etc…. I am just a
blogger, with no official credential and professional tag on my chest.
And my estimate is just layman and subject to error or not as good as
the professionals.read more